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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage

A "handful" of grammar problems

The following appeared in today's Washington Post. Discusing changes in modern horse-breeding practices, columnist Andrew Beyer noted that few of the sires in current demand are noted for their ability to produce horses with the stamina to run long races:
" . . .there is but a handful of stallions renowned as important stamina influences . . ."
"A handful" is surely singular, so "there is . . . a handful" appears to be correct. But my ear keeps insisting that the entire phrase just modifies the word "stallions," so that the verb should be "are." In other words, if we substituted "brown" for "but a handful of," the required verb would undoubtedly be "are" rather than "is."

Can someone help me out? Is my brain or my ear the better judge here?
  

Top answer

[nq:1]The following appeared in today's Washington Post. Discusing changes in modern horse-breeding practices, columnist Andrew Beyer noted that few of ... " Can someone help me out?

  • [nq:1]The following appeared in today's Washington Post.
  • Discusing changes in modern horse-breeding practices, columnist Andrew Beyer noted that few of ...
  • " Can someone help me out?
  • [/nq] I think more often than not the problem is the other direction.
  • "A platoon of soldiers was stationed at Ft.
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7 Answers
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[nq:1]The following appeared in today's Washington Post. Discusing changes in modern horse-breeding practices, columnist Andrew Beyer noted that few of ... be "are" rather than "is." Can someone help me out? Is my brain or my ear the better judge here?[/nq]
I think more often than not the problem is the other direction. "A platoon of soldiers was stationed at Ft. Bragg" but people want to say
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[nq:1]" . . .there is but a handful of stallions renowned as important stamina influences . . ." "A handful" is surely singular, so "there is . . . a handful" appears to be correct. [/nq]
Well, you can't have the article "a" modifying a plural noun, so "a lot" and "a hundred" are surely singular too. So "a lot of people is sick today" appears to be correct. A hundred dollars says I'm right.
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[nq:2]" . . .there is but a handful of stallions ... . . . a handful" appears to be correct. [/nq]
[nq:1]Well, you can't have the article "a" modifying a plural noun, so "a lot" and "a hundred" are surely singular too. So "a lot of people is sick today" appears to be correct. A hundred dollars says I'm right.[/nq]
Was I absent when we voted to ban straight answers?

Most native spe
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"Robert Lieblich" (Email Removed) schrieb im Newsbeitrag
[nq:2]Well, you can't have the article "a" modifying a plural ... appears to be correct. A hundred dollars says I'm right.[/nq]
[nq:1]Was I absent when we voted to ban straight answers?[/nq]
Well, seeing as you have no recollection of the ballot, I think the answer to that is perfectly obvious.
[nq:1]There's no iron-clad rul
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[nq:2]Was I absent when we voted to ban straight answers?[/nq]
[nq:1]Well, seeing as you have no recollection of the ballot, I think the answer to that is perfectly obvious.[/nq]
You overlook the high likelihood that I slept through it. Check and see if I am recorded as abstaining. Or snoozing.
[nq:2]There's no iron-clad rule to help differentiate, and some sentences ... that was/were
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try substituting "a small quantity" for "handful" and then decide.
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Thanks. Of all the responses to my posting, yours seems to fit best. Poorly chosen metaphors often get in the way of plain commmunication.

(As requested, I am posting this to the group as well as responding directly.)

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